Demand Response

Cutting Back Power Use to Avoid Brown-Outs

Every time someone flips on a room light, turns on an air conditioner or does a load of laundry a demand for electricity is being created. When that light flips on, the A/C kicks in or those clothes get clean, more strain is being put on the electric grid. And while it may not seem like a big deal, energy demand is something that both consumers and businesses like us need to be thoughtful about.

The power grid is a complex web of power plants and transition lines designed to meet our normal peak demand for electricity. When it gets too hot outside demand for electricity spikes and there isn’t enough to go around. There are two things we can do: get more electricity from some other place or curtail our energy use. The decision to lessen the amount of energy used it called Demand Response.

Curious about demand response? Read more on demand response and how you can cut your energy demand at home.